Patent Application
20210178862
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The present disclosure relates generally to mounts for securing mobile devices to a structure, and more particularly, to a vent-attached mobile device mount accepting air freshener fragrance cartridges.
A wide variety of portable electronic devices are currently in existence on the market, though there has been a recent convergence towards a fewer category of devices that fulfill many needs. Typically, these are smartphones that which integrate functions and features that may have earlier been provided in separate, independent devices such as music players, gaming consoles, personal digital assistants, digital still and video cameras, electronic readers, mapping and navigation devices, and so on. Several short-to-medium range communications modalities are also integrated, including WiFi and Bluetooth for short-range/local data transfer links, as well as cellular communications systems that can substantially extend its communicative range.
When interacting with the smartphone for a brief moment, it may be held in the hand and placed back down following use. However, there may be some situations in which the user is performing a primary task not with or relating to the smartphone, e.g., driving a vehicle, working on a computer, cooking, and so on, but would nevertheless desire to access a function or view something on the smartphone.
In response to these needs, various mounting devices have been developed. One configuration is a cradle that mechanically retains the smartphone, with the cradle being mounted to a structure. The compressive retention mechanisms are oftentimes cumbersome to engage and/or disengage, so more recently, magnetic mounts are being utilized. A mount head including one or more permanent magnets are fixed to the structure, with a metallic plate being attached to the rear of the smartphone. The magnets on the mount engage the metallic plate, thereby releasably engaging the smartphone to the mount. Whether utilizing a compressive or a magnetic retention, the mount is attached to a location within the interior of the vehicle that is visible and accessible by the driver and/or passengers. A variety of attachment modalities are known in the art, including suction cups and adhesives that secure the mount to a surface such as the windshield or the dashboard, adapters that fit within cupholders in the center console or within the compact disc player slot, as well as clips that attach to the louvers or grilles of air conditioning vents.
The use of air conditioning vents as a mounting location for mobile devices is relatively new, however, as vent mounts have been more common for air fresheners that are typically lighter in weight. The enclosed space of a vehicle interior tends to retain unpleasant odors from a variety of sources, and air fresheners may be utilized to adsorb, oxidize, sanitize, or mask the odorants. An inexpensive and widely used air freshener are the continuous action type, one example of which is a wick or reed impregnated with a volatile fluid with fragrance material. Such air fresheners may be hung from visors or placed in similar central locations within the interior of the vehicle.
Another continuous action type air freshener employs a gel material that incorporates the fragrance, and stored within a container, one surface of which is a semi-permeable material that allows the fragrance vapors to slowly disperse into the surrounding environment. These air fresheners may be mounted to the air conditioning vent, with either cooled or heated air further facilitating the dispersion of the fragrance vapors. Typical mounts utilized for such air fresheners had structural configurations matched to the relatively light weight thereof and were generally unsuitable for adaptation to heavier articles such as mobile devices. Several improvements to better retain and stabilize the mounts on the vent grilles/louvers that horizontally and vertically distribute load forces have been made.
There are a limited number of air conditioning vents in typical front dash on which various devices may be mounted. The driver seat is typically configured with left and right rear-facing vents, and the passenger seat is likewise configured with left and right rear-facing vents. Some vehicles may incorporate an additional central vent. The right driver-side vent is oftentimes partially obstructed by the steering wheel, so it is not an ideal location for a mobile device. Likewise, the left passenger-side vent is offset too much to the right and may also not be a practical location for mounting a mobile device. To optimize the circulation of fragrance in the vehicle, a centrally located air conditioning vent is preferable.
Accordingly, while there may be multiple air conditioning vents on which various devices can be mounted, the practical or usable mounting locations are more limited. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a consolidated air conditioning vent mount for mobile devices and air fresheners.
The present disclosure contemplates a mount device that accepts a fragrance cartridge and incorporates a magnetic device mount head. In one embodiment, there may be a primary rotatable joint that has an extension stalk. Additionally, there may be a device mount head that is coupled to the primary rotatable joint. Furthermore, the mount device may include a mount stabilizer that defines central mount axis. The extension stalk may be fixed to the mount stabilizer in a coaxial relationship to the central mount axis. The mount device may include a cartridge cover that is defined by a front face. The cartridge cover may include a center bushing that extends from the front face. The center bushing may define a bore that is coaxial with the central mount axis of the mount stabilizer. The stalk of the primary rotatable joint may extend through the cartridge cover. The mount device may include a coupling that is attached to the mount stabilizer and the fragrance cartridge cover. The cartridge cover and the mount stabilizer may together define a cavity that is receptive to a fragrance cartridge defined by a cartridge body. This cartridge body may have a central opening and a slot extending from the central opening to an outer periphery of the cartridge body. The cartridge may also be receptive to the coupling.
Another embodiment of the present disclosure may be an apparatus for mounting to an air conditioning vent grille. The apparatus may include a circular housing that is defined by an open top end, a closed bottom end, a front face, and an opposed rear face. The circular housing may further define a cavity that is receptive to a circular fragrance cartridge. Such fragrance cartridge may have a main body that defines an engagement slot extending from a periphery to a central portion thereof. Additionally, the apparatus may include a mount stalk that is fixed to the central portion of the circular housing. The mount stalk may also be rotatably coupled to a device cradle. The mount stalk may be received within the engagement slot of the main body of the circular fragrance cartridge. The apparatus may further include a vent grill clamp that is fixed to and extends from the rear face of the circular housing.
Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure includes a vent mount. There may be a housing that defines an open top slot and an interior cavity that is receptive to a fragrance cartridge through the open top slot. The vent mount may also include a first rotatable joint element with an extension stalk that is centrally fixed to the housing. There may also be a magnetic device mount head with a second rotatable joint element that is coupled to the first rotatable joint element. The vent mount may further incorporate a vent grill clamp that is centrally fixed to and extends from the fragrance cartridge housing.
The present disclosure also contemplates another embodiment of a vent mount. There may be a housing that defines an open top slot and an interior cavity that is receptive to a fragrance cartridge through the open top slot. The vent mount may also include a first rotatable joint element with an extension stalk that is centrally fixed to the housing. The vent mount may have a lateral extension bar with a proximal end including a second rotatable joint element coupled to the first rotatable joint element and a distal end including a third rotatable joint element. There may also be a magnetic device mount head with a fourth rotatable joint element that is coupled to the third rotatable joint element on the distal end of the lateral extension bar. The vent mount may further incorporate a vent grill clamp that is centrally fixed to and extends from the fragrance cartridge housing.
The present disclosure will be best understood accompanying by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the drawings.
These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which:
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of the presently preferred embodiment of a magnetic device vent mount with a fragrance cartridge holder and is not intended to represent the only form in which it can be developed or utilized. The description sets forth the functions for developing and operating the mount in connection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the scope of the present disclosure. It is further understood that the use of relational terms such as first, second, distal, proximal, left, right, and the like are used solely to distinguish one from another element without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such elements.
With reference to
As shown in partially exploded perspective view of
Because the fragrance cartridge 16 is configured to be received within the cartridge housing 14, it is understood to have a shape that generally conforms to the internal cavity 30 thereof, e.g., circular. More specifically, the fragrance cartridge 16 may have a partially toroid geometry with a rounded front portion 34 that defines a body 36 of the fragrance cartridge 16, and a flat rear face 38 that is opposite the rounded front portion 34. There is also a flange rim 40 that is a part of the flat rear face 38.
With additional reference to
The engagement slot 42 is defined at least partly by a left inner sidewall 54a extending from the left tip 52a, and a right inner sidewall 54b extending from the right tip 52b. In addition, the engagement slot 42 is partly defined by a central semicircular inner sidewall 54d that is contiguous with the left inner sidewall 54a and the right inner sidewall 54b. The central semicircular inner sidewall 54 generally corresponds to the central portion 44. The width of the engagement slot 42 may be varied, though as will be described in further detail below, in one embodiment it is slightly wider than the diameter of the stalk 20. The tips 52a, 52b may have a slight curvature to reduce any sharp edges that can snag within the internal cavity 30 of the cartridge housing 14.
The flange rim 40 extends outwardly from the entire outline of the body 36, and in a substantially perpendicular relationship to the respective inner and outer sidewalls 50, 54 described above. In this regard, the flange rim 40 may be structurally contiguous and/or have a uniform construction with the body 36. The edges of the flange rim 40 are understood to conform to the outline of the body 36 and thus have a uniform width, with a few exceptions.
One such exception is a pair of left and right notches 56a, 56b defined in the flange rim 40 of the respective left and right branches 48a, 48b of the body 36. As will be described in further detail below, the notches 56 are understood to frictionally engage with posts located within the internal cavity 30 so that the fragrance cartridge 16 remains within notwithstanding any minor vibration or jostling force typically encountered in a moving vehicle. In one exemplary embodiment, the notches 56 are circular with rounded edges. The flange rim 40 is understood to be constructed of a resilient plastic material that deforms in response to a certain degree of force applied thereto. Such force may be that which corresponds to a deliberate effort to manually remove the fragrance cartridge 16 from the cartridge housing 14, or to insert the fragrance cartridge 16 into the internal cavity 30. The specific positioning of the notches 56 relative to the center axis of the engagement slot 42, which in turn is the insertion and removal axis 58, is contemplated to facilitate such an removable engagement of the fragrance cartridge 16 and the cartridge housing 14.
Another exception is an upper tab 60 extending from that portion of the flange rim 40 corresponding to the semicircular base section 46. The upper tab 60 provides a surface by which t user can grasp the fragrance cartridge 16 in order to pull and remove the same from the cartridge housing 14. Along these lines, the upper tab 60 may be pushed and inserted into the internal cavity 30.
The body 36 of the fragrance cartridge 16 is understood to serve as the reservoir for a fluid material impregnated with a fragrance. To this end, the body 36 may be constructed of a resilient, non-permeable polymer material including polyethylene terephthalates (PET), polyethylene (PE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyamides or nylon, polyoxymethylene or Delrin, and so on. The body 36 may be transparent or translucent so that a user may immediately ascertain the volume of the fragrance fluid material that remains to decide that a replacement cartridge is necessary, and/or to distinguish one type of fragrance cartridge or another marked with different colorants. The fluid material may be a highly volatile liquid or oil. A variety of scents or fragrances that are either synthetically produced or naturally derived oils such as lavender, orange, lemon, vanilla, cedar, wood, sandalwood, and the like. Besides colorants and fragrances, the fluid material may incorporate other additives such as stabilizers, plasticizers, and/or lubricants. Furthermore, it is within the purview of one having ordinary skill in the art to select different fragrances, carrier fluids, colorants, and additives. There are numerous possible combinations and blends, and the present disclosure need not be limited to any particular one.
While the body 36 is not permeable, it is contemplated that the flat rear face 38 of the fragrance cartridge 16 may be. A thin, resilient though permeable film 62 may be affixed over the entirety of the fragrance cartridge reservoir and adhered to the flange rim 40. Glue, or any other suitable adhesive may be utilized to so affix the permeable film 62 to the body 36. The permeable film 62 is contemplated to slowly release the volatile fragrance material into the atmosphere. It will be appreciated that any suitable material may be utilized for the permeable film 62, and further, any other suitable fragrance or volatile liquid release modality may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
As indicated above, the cartridge housing 14 includes the stalk 20 extending from a central portion 64 thereof. The stalk 20 includes a ball joint 65 that is either integral with or fixedly attached to the end of the stalk 20 and is configured to be rotatably coupled to the magnetic mount head 12. In this regard, the ball joint 65 may also be referred to more generally as a primary rotatable joint. Although specific reference is made to the magnetic mount head 12, this is by way of example only and the ball joint 65 may be rotatably coupled to any other cradle-type apparatus that holds an electronic device, or any other attachment, including those with device charging functionalities, auto-clamping functionalities, and so on.
Referring again to
With additional reference to
Each of the tines 78 are understood to be slightly undersized relative to the size of the ball joint 65 so that it may be frictionally retained in a desirable orientation. The slight biasing force exerted in this configuration may be overcome by applying an axial force upon the ball joint 65/stalk 20. This is understood to spread apart the tines 78 to release the ball joint 65 from the grips of the joint socket 72. In this regard, the tines 78 are spaced away from the interior wall 74 to allow for such spreading. Though a ball-and-socket joint is shown, this is by way of example only and any other rotating/articulating engagement between the magnetic mount head 12 and the cartridge housing 14 are possible.
Stability at the endpoints of the mounting device 10, that is, the magnetic mount head 12 on one end, and the vent mount 18 at the opposite end, may be maximized by positioning each along the same axis, and attaching to a contiguous coaxial structure. More particularly, this structure extends through the cartridge housing 14 and intersects the internal cavity 30. The engagement slot 42 defined in the body 36 of the fragrance cartridge 16 provides a passageway for the structure thus configured. The vent mount 18 extends from the rear face 28 of the cartridge housing 14 in a direction opposite the magnetic mount head 12.
With reference to the exploded view of
The circular stabilizer 88 is understood to have a circumference substantially corresponding to that of the circular cover 80, and defined by a central hub 92 integral with a pair of upper and lower spokes 94a, 94b extending to a peripheral circular rim 96. Within an interior region of the circular stabilizer 88, there are left and right hemispherical slots 98a, 98b. It is expressly contemplated that the hemispherical slots 98 open to the vehicle air conditioning vents, and exposes the permeable film 62 of the fragrance cartridge 16 to the airflow, aiding in the dispersion of the fragrance. The central hub 92 further defines a quadrangular recess 100 that receives a corresponding quadrangular flange 102 of the coupling 90. The quadrangular recess 100 and the quadrangular flange 102 may be sized and shaped for a friction fit. The center of the circular stabilizer 88 is aligned with the common central mount axis 79, and a fastener or screw 104 extends from the central hub 92 in alignment therewith.
The coupling 90 also includes a collar portion 106 abutting the quadrangular flange 102, and defines a keyed bore 108 that receptively engages the stalk 20. The axis of the keyed bore 108 is aligned and coaxial with the common central mount axis 79, and also receives the screw 104. The keyed bore 108 is so configured to prevent rotational movement of the stalk 20 when inserted therein according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
In addition to being attached to the circular stabilizer 88, the coupling 90 is also attached to the circular cover 80. With additional reference to
As mentioned above, the cartridge housing 14 incorporates various structural features that aid in aligning and retaining the fragrance cartridge 16 within its internal cavity 30. One such structural feature is the U-shaped fragrance cartridge 16 and the engagement slot 42, within which the coupling 90 and/or the stalk 20 is received. Although in some embodiments the stalk 20 does not extend entirely through the coupling 90, because the stalk 20 is fixed to the coupling 90, the stalk 20 may be considered as being received within the engagement slot 42 of the fragrance cartridge 16 because the coupling 90 may be an extension of the stalk 20. It is to be understood that while some features have been described as discrete components and subcomponents, different embodiments within the contemplation of the present disclosure may utilize different integrated combinations of features that form a unitary component or sub-component.
Another retention feature previously described is the series of notches 56 defined around the circumference of the flange rim 40 of the fragrance cartridge 16. As best shown in
An interior of the circular cover 80 may further define a circular protuberance 124 in a middle region 122 between the outer periphery and the central portion 64 thereof that is contemplated to provide an interference fit against the rounded front portion 34 of the fragrance cartridge 16. This circular protuberance 124 may be seen as a circular depression 125 on the cover face 82 of the circular cover 80. During insertion of the fragrance cartridge 16, the circular protuberance 124 partly inhibits such movement, but once fully inserted, the circular protuberance 124 is understood to clear the raised, rounded front portion 34 of the fragrance cartridge 16. This feature is likewise contemplated to aid in the retention of the fragrance cartridge 16.
The circular stabilizer 88, and hence cartridge housing 14 of which it is a part, includes the vent mount 18 that is configured to couple the mounting device to the louvers of an air conditioner vent. The vent mount 18 is comprised of a metallic clip 126 with a base 128 and a pair of opposed claws 130. There is a fastener hole 132 defined in the base 128. The screw 104 may be inserted through the fastener hole 132, and compress the base 128 against the circular stabilizer 88. The clip 126, and hence the vent mount 18, is understood to be in axial alignment with the common central mount axis 79.
The claws 130 may be received within an elastomeric jaw assembly 134 generally comprised of an upper jaw 134a and a lower jaw 134b, with a common base 136. In the illustrated example, the jaws 134 are vertically offset from each other, and define a horizontally oriented separate between which a horizontal vent louver is retained. Each of the upper and lower jaws 134a, 134b define respective cavities 138a, 138b that are receptive to the corresponding claws 130 of the metallic clip 126. The upper jaw 134a and the lower jaw 134b, like the claws 130 inserted therein, are configured to be movable relative to each other, and so there may be a joint structure 140 within the common base 136. The claws 130 are biased toward each other, such that they exert a compressive force against the upper jaw 134a and the lower jaw 134b. The jaws 134 may be spread apart manually to provide clearance for the vent louvers while the mounting device 10 is being attached thereto. Alternatively, the open end of the jaws 134 may be pressed on to the vent louvers and inserted further therein. Once fully attached on to the louvers, the jaws 134, and the claws 130, are understood to be compressively retained thereon.
In addition to defining a part of the cartridge housing 14, the circular stabilizer 88 is contemplated to minimize rotational movement about transverse axes normal to the common central mount axis 79. The peripheral circular rim 96 and interior portions of the circular stabilizer 88 may be abutted against the air conditioning vent louver and prevent from further rotation. To provide further frictional engagement to the vent louver, the rear side of the circular stabilizer 88 may include an elastomeric pad 142 that extends around the circumference of the circular stabilizer 88.
The coupling 150 similarly includes a quadrangular flange 152 received within the quadrangular recess 100 defined by the circular stabilizer 88. The coupling 150 is also defined by a collar portion 154, with a through bore 156 extending through the collar portion 154. The through bore 156 is stepped, and there is a wider counterbore 158 that is sized and shaped to accept a quadrangular key 160 at the tip of the stalk 20. The collar portion 154 is received within a circular opening of the bushing 110.
The closed bottom end 24 of the housing 14 further includes a drip catch 162 that attaches to the circular cover 80 with clips 164. The drip catch 162 has partially circular catch body 166 with a front rim 168 and an opposed rear rim 170. Additionally, there is a tapered inner rim 172 that conforms to the outer contour of the stabilizer 88. In a central region 174 of the catch body 166, there is a protuberance 176 that roughly conforms to the width of the engagement slot 42 of the fragrance cartridge 16. The protuberance 186 is understood to frictionally retain, or at least position or align the fragrance cartridge 16 within the housing 14, and prevent lateral movement of the same.
Referring again to
The particulars shown herein are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the embodiments of the present disclosure only and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects. In this regard, no attempt is made to show details with more particularity than is necessary, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the present disclosure may be embodied in practice.
